Voting to end net neutrality will hurt rural Pennsylvanians

Recently the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to eliminate Net Neutrality, an enormous mistake that will have far-reaching negative consequences for rural Pennsylvanians.

An open, accessible, fast, and safe Internet is essential for communications, education, small businesses, national security, and almost every aspect of modern life.

Unfortunately, our US Representative Glenn Thompson doesn’t understand the consequences of eliminating of Net Neutrality. He even spoke against Net Neutrality on the floor of Congress, calling it “government overreach.” You can hear for yourself at this link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BISOCHjEGB4.

But guaranteeing fair and open access to the Internet is exactly what our government should be doing. Thompson’s rural constituents have the most at risk if giant technology or Internet companies decide to charge more or no longer service smaller out of the way areas.

Only Net Neutrality guarantees that everyone will have equal Internet access.

We need a representative in Congress who actually understands the Internet and Cybersecurity. That’s why we need to elect Marc Friedenberg to represent us in Congress. Marc has two degrees in Information Sciences and Technology from Penn State, and a law degree from Columbia University. He would be one of the few members of Congress who understands both the legal and the technological aspects of our computer-based world. He understands who the winners (big corporations) and the losers (people) are of repealing Net Neutrality.

Technology is changing our lives in dramatic ways. We need a representative who understands these changes. We need Marc Friedenberg as our representative in Congress.